One day I woke up, and I felt inside of me that I had to go and get tested. I used to go to a lot of brothels. I had never gotten advice that I should use condoms. When I first heard I was infected, I was very worried. I felt out of place, not normal inside of me. At one point I even wanted to kill myself, but eventually I found strength and never felt like that again. I felt stigmatized and discriminated against by my neighbors. I would say hello and when they found out I had HIV they would not answer me. Or, if I came to stand next to them to have a conversation, they would all move away. That made me feel separated, like I was not living or part of this world. I was living in a desert.

I gathered a bunch of my friends and sat them down. I talked to them (about my HIV status). I could not hide. And if they found out somewhere else, it would give me more problems. I thought that maybe some would stop talking to me. But I realized I had good friends and had to stay strong.

At the end of the day, my friends and family have never let me down. They are always there for me. I wish for all the people like me to be strong and believe that they are like everyone else, and to not live a separate life. And to always be open to receive advice, and always go to the hospital and take the medicine.